ORLANDO, Fla. (Ivanhoe Broadcast News) -- Lance
Armstrong used the Tour de France to make a comeback and beat cancer. But he's
not the only one.
This isn't just a jog. It's more than a bike ride. It's bigger than a dip in the
pool. For Holly McCann, triathlons are about survival. Three years ago, she
started the fight of her life against stage-four non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.
"I’m kind of waiting for that five year mark to be, quote, cured and healthy and
normal," Holly says.
Colleen Wilson is a training coach with the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's Team
in Training program. She says, whatever your motivation for taking on an
endurance sport, don't do it alone.
"I’ve done a marathon alone, and it’s not fun. It wasn’t fun at all. When I
joined up with a team, it was much better," Colleen says. And you don't have to
start off in shape! "I’ve seen it before, people who say, 'I can’t believe I’m
going to do this; I’m not really an athlete, but I just want to try to finish an
endurance event,'" she says.
If you're thinking about trying an endurance sport, you'll need to start
preparing at least four months in advance. You should try to get used to
training the amount of time you'll be in the race, but the max you should train
in a day is seven hours. Equipment? A more aerodynamic handle bar will make you
faster. And the best bike investment you can make is a good set of wheels.
The number one thing any triathlete needs, more important than shoes, bikes, or
swimsuits? Motivation.
"It chokes me up about it, because it’s very personal to me, but I just know
going over that finish line, it’s just going to be amazing," Holly says.
Holly was training for a triathlon that's a 1.5-K swim, 58-K bike ride, and a
10-K run. For a better deal on a new bike, buy in the mid- to late-summer, when
many shops slash prices on last year's models to make room for new models.
If you would like more information, please contact:
The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society
3319 Maguire Blvd., Suite 101
Orlando, FL 32803
(407) 898-0733
